I am getting a little a Lot of help from Trader Joe’s for our Christmas Eve party this year
We tried the Crispy Vegetable Pouches and they are quite yummy, so I went back and got 4 more boxes! I also picked up a couple of boxes of Mini Quiches, and Camembert Cheese and Cranberry Sauce Fillo Bites to lighten the cooking load
I will make Pigs in a Blanket, they are always a hit with all ages, and they’re easy to make
Recently I made them with a butter mustard sauce and the sauce made them crazy good! The recipe at end of this post
Make a ton, they will disappear quickly!
We’re also going to have a family favorite cheese spread, 5 Minute Mystery Dip
Even though it’s pictured on a summer platter, this appetizer is perfect for any season. It is a jam covered block of cream cheese with a variety of other ingredients piled on top. As it gets eaten, everything mixes together forming a sweet & salty, creamy & crunchy delight of a bite on a cracker or crudite…
It will look green and snowy, kind of like this Stuffed Snow Pea Tree another easy holiday app
I am going to shape the cream cheese into a triangle tree shape {see diagram below}
Then the tree will be covered with strawberry jam, topped with bacon, peanuts, scallions, coconut and chopped parsley, with crackers around the base of the tree
CC & I are going to make a big batch of Christmas Chex Mix today adding some white chocolate chip “snow” after baking to make it even more festive. I made a few changes to the recipe and we are going to call it Santa’s Reindeer Kibble, you can see the recipe at the end of the post
We will pack it into gift bags for our Christmas Eve party favors, and she’s going to help me make handmade tags
Here is the final menu for our family Christmas Eve, 12 adults, 11 children, and Santa!
HHjr will grill the Teriyaki Tenderloin,and cut it into finger food size slices
Millie Ray’s Orange Rolls are a local gem, so popular I stocked my freezer with 3 packages of them several weeks ago
I have ham slices already cut in the freezer so all I have to do is defrost the rolls and fill them with ham which I will do on Sunday
The gingerbread men are another Trader Joe’s addition and the Carrot Cake Cheesecake Bites will be cut from a beautiful whole cake from Harry & David I received as a gift
Another easy party favor is Snowman Poop, {marshmallows} you can download the free printable label here
You don’t want to be too pooped to enjoy the holidays!
Here are the recipes
This recipe is adapted from Plain Chicken
Mustard Butter Pigs in a Blanket
Ingredients
- 1 can 8 count crescent roll dough
- 24 little smokies or any smoked sausage pieces
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Unroll dough, separate triangles and cut each triangle into 3 dough pieces.
- Roll up each sausage piece in a dough piece and place into a small shallow sprayed casserole dish, with a small space in between them.
- Mix sugar and mustard into melted butter along with Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine.
- Slowly drizzle butter sauce over sausage stuffed dough in the pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until puffed and golden. Serve warm
Santa’s Reindeer Kibble
Ingredients
- 1 box 12 oz, Corn Chex
- 1 box 12 oz, Rice Chex
- 1 jar 16 oz, honey roasted peanuts
- 1 box 24 oz Cheez-it crackers
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- Seasoned salt to taste
- 2 large bags 11.4 oz Christmas peanut M & Ms
- 2 10 oz white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Lightly spray 2 rimmed cookie sheets and pour 1/2 of cereals, nuts and crackers on each pan. Toss around to mix.
- Mix olive oil with Worcestershire sauce and stir well to blend. Slowly pour sauce over all.
- Gently mix sauce and cereal mixture by using a large serving spoon to gently fold ingredients over each other until all the pieces are coated. If mixture seems dry, mix additional olive oil and Worcestershire and pour over cereal mix. Spread into an even layer in pans and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
- Bake at 275 degrees for 20 minutes. Stir, and continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes.
- Transfer Chex mixture to a large area covered with paper towels and let mixture cool. This only takes a few minutes.
- Transfer mix into a large bowl or container and stir in M & Ms and white chocolate chips. Place into jars or gift bags for giving or store in tightly covered containers.
Keep Calm and Jingle On!
🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Meal Plan Monday Dishing it & Digging it, Between Naps on the Porch,
Merry Monday Make it Pretty Monday Celebrate and Decorate,
Delicious Dishes Recipe Party Oh My Heartsie Girl Full Plate Thursday